Love, not in so many words
by Xian Chan
Summary: Some things are better short and sweet. Many stories can be told with only one sentence. TroyRyan. Tryan. Slash.


**Notes:** Okay, I'm doing these challenges because my other laptop (the one with all the stories I'm currently working on) is away being repaired. And I can't continue anything until I get it back, which won't be for awhile. Oddly, even though I have an excuse to stay inactive, I don't want to. Which has prompted this foray into LJ challenges. Includes massive abuse of commas, semi-colons, and grammar in general. Forgive me.

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**Love, not in so many words**

- - - - - - - - - -

_One - Air_

Ryan's voice drifts over him like the softest breeze blowing by.

_Two - Apples_

Troy can taste the faintest traces of sweet and tangy Macintosh on Ryan's lips.

_Three - Beginning_

It's only when the lights dim fully, and the opening credits start rolling by when Troy's fingers crawl up the armrest and hesitantly brush across the back of Ryan's hand.

_Four - Bugs_

One never expects their manly, basketball playing boyfriend to jump and squeal frantically at the sight of a small cockroach.

_Five - Coffee_

Troy is bitter and heavy on his tongue.

_Six - Dark_

When the curtains are closed, and the door is shut, and all the lights are off they can pretend that there isn't a world outside; only two sweaty bodies sliding against each other.

_Seven - Despair_

Troy doesn't understand how everything has come down to him, and Ryan, and a gun.

_Eight - Doors_

"Jesus Christ Sharpay, can't you knock," is all Troy hears as he is stumbling and tripping over himself to find his boxers.

_Nine - Drink_

Troy is a lovely drunk, who Ryan can't help but kiss to death as the boy babbles on about how much he loves everyone.

_Ten - Duty_

Jack Bolton gives his son a _look_ as he adjusted the boutonniere on Troy's lapel, speaking low so that Ryan nor Lucille who were chatting away would not be able to hear him, "You remembered the condoms, right?"

_Eleven - Earth_

"Hey space cadet, come back down to earth," Troy snaps his fingers in front of the blond's face so he wouldn't have to endure the professor's horrendously boring lecture alone.

_Twelve - End_

It doesn't really hit him until the ring given as a gift months ago was thrown back in his face; things are over.

_Thirteen - Fall_

"You know, for a dancer, you're surprisingly clumsy," he said as he offered his hand to the boy sprawled out on the floor.

_Fourteen - Fire_

Ryan hated it: touch a hot pan and time seems to stretch forever, but touch Troy Bolton and five hours feel like five seconds.

_Fifteen - Flexible_

There were perks to dating a dancer that Troy knew only he got to keep for himself, and never ever had to share.

_Sixteen - Flying_

"I swear to god Troy, if I hear you even hum Breaking Free again you won't be getting any for a year," Ryan groused.

_Seventeen - Food_

Their relationship seems to be based around meals, because all Troy can seem to recall in the last month is lunch in the cafeteria, and then kissing, and a fancy restaurant, and kissing, and popcorn, and kissing, and shared popsicles, and kissing, and chocolate syrup and....definitely not kissing.

_Eighteen - Foot_

"This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home, this little piggy had roast beef, this little piggy had none, and this little piggy convinced the nine other piggies to tip toe all their way downstairs so Troy can get his beautiful blond boyfriend a bottle of water and one of those cookies that he thinks he's hidden so well under the ramen noodles in the cupboard."

_Nineteen - Grave_

Sharpay places a comforting hand on his shoulder while he smiles about the fifty years they spent as Troy and Ryan Bolton, now reduced to nothing but Ryan and the amount of time it will take for them to be together again.

_Twenty - Green_

Some psychologists say that children who pick green as a favorite color during childhood will often grow to be highly intelligent, but Ryan isn't sure that's the case with Troy.

_Twenty One - Head_

"So," is all Troy has to utter before he is dragged out of the cafeteria and to a more private area, namely the very _lockable_ dressing rooms.

_Twenty Two - Hollow_

As Troy walked away, he took with him a piece of Ryan's heart that could only ever be filled when he was around.

_Twenty Three - Honor _

Because of him, Ryan lost everything else and would rather leave before he lost his dignity too.

_Twenty Four - Hope _

Ryan smiles at him and Troy knows that things will get better, no matter how long it takes.

_Twenty Five - Light_

It's as if he's been put under a spotlight and Troy doesn't know if he can handle the questioning stares from his friends and the shocked expression frozen on Ryan's features, because now _everything_ is out.

_Twenty Six - Lost_

"No, it's this way," they both growl at the same time with Gabriella standing awkwardly between them, wondering why they had to get into a lover's spat in the middle of trying to find their way to out of Disneyland.

_Twenty Seven - Metal_

Troy grumbled as Ryan rolled around, holding his stomach, and gasping for air from laughing to much, holding a picture of Troy the year he had his braces.

_Twenty Eight - New_

"Troy and Ryan are christening the new sheets," Sharpay explained to the mortified Gabriella, who should have thought better about asking what exactly was bumping and thumping in the room next door.

_Twenty Nine - Old_

"Oh god, I can feel the cold breath of death upon my neck," Ryan moaned to the brunet who only rolled his eyes and responded with, "Calm down Ry, you've only turned thirty."

_Thirty - Peace_

For the first time in months, the Troy and Ryan could just sit back, relax, and thank god that Gabriella's eldest offered to babysit for the night.

_Thirty One - Poison_

As Troy moved to the other side of the kitchen, Ryan sneakily slipped the tablet into the brunet's drink, having no idea that Troy had done the same to Ryan's drink not even half a minute earlier.

_Thirty Two - Pretty_

He hated when Troy called him..._pretty_, because it made him seem like such a girl, and he _definitely_ had a penis.

_Thirty Three - Rain_

When he shows up soaking at the door, it's decided that their date can be put off one day for a night in snuggling by a window and drinking cocoa while they watch lightning streak across the sky.

_Thirty Four - Regret_

Troy asks him if he regrets anything, and Ryan only shrugs and smirks, because they both know Ryan's never had any and never will.

_Thirty Five - Roses_

Troy clenches his hand around the stem feeling the thorns break skin as dark red mixed with a palmful of tears, a flower given back to him and an unspoken 'I can't live without you' hanging in the air.

_Thirty Six - Secret_

"Ry, you have to promise not to tell anyone–" "–that you like boys–" "–that I use fake tan."

_Thirty Seven - Snakes_

"Troy, it kind of creeps me out when you call it a snake."

_Thirty Eight - Snow_

A snowflake drifts between them, lands on the tip of Ryan's nose, and stays there until Troy kisses it away.

_Thirty Nine - Solid_

Ryan knocks his knuckles against the stone, still flabbergasted that they've actually erected a statue of Troy in the front of the school.

_Forty - Spring_

The pollen gets to him, which is why Ryan simply refuses to let Troy take him to the park.

_Forty One - Stable_

"I got you," Troy assured the smaller boy, who was still a little shaken from his fall from the ladder.

_Forty Two - Strange_

'This is new,' Ryan thinks as Troy's hand slips down his trousers.

_Forty Three - Summer_

The sun only serves to irritate Ryan more as he sits by the pool and tries his best to ignore Sharpay's posse fawning over Troy_, his _boyfriend.

_Forty Four - Taboo_

Troy coughed, nearly choking on his potato chip, and looked at Gabriella, "Ryan told you to ask _me_ to explain rimming?"

_Forty Five - Ugly_

"You're not hideously disfigured Troy, it's only a zit," Ryan rolled his eyes.

_Forty Six - War_

Their arguments tend to get a little explosive; the gaping hole in the wall was proof of that.

_Forty Seven - Water _

The dam breaks and Ryan can't stop the tears from flowing free, the only comfort is the strong arms around him.

_Forty Eight - Welcome_

Ryan's legs are spread, and Troy knows exactly what it means.

_Forty Nine - Winter_

The frost in those light blue eyes forces Troy to stop in his tracksand think twice about what he was about to do, if he really wanted to thaw their cold gaze.

_Fifty - Wood_

"Troy, that better be your cellphone."


End file.
